Wollongong is already No. 2 in regional NSW for poker machine losses and those losses have surged 12.2 per cent in just one year
Translating into losses of $606,876 every day, the alarming figures put the spotlight on Wollongong City Council as it prepares to consider a push for stronger poker machine harm reduction measures on Monday 24 August 2026.
Wollongong residents lost $54.6 million to poker machines in the first three months of 2026 alone, putting the LGA on track for annual losses of more than $243 million.
Wesley Mission CEO, Rev Stu Cameron, says the escalating losses demand a stronger response. “Wollongong cannot afford to look the other way while poker machine losses continue to surge.
The status quo is failing. Rising losses mean rising harm and that demands a stronger response is urgently required. Monday is an opportunity for Wollongong Council to lead and send a clear message to the state government that communities expect better protections from poker machine harm.
Wollongong City Council will consider a Notice of Motion from Councillor, Deidre Stuart, endorsing the submission of additional gambling harm reduction reforms to the 2026 Local Government NSW Annual Conference.
The proposed reforms call for:
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a statewide shutdown of poker machines between midnight and 10am
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an independently managed statewide self-exclusion register covering all venues with poker machines
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publication of venue-level poker machine data including machine numbers and losses to improve transparency and support local harm prevention.
Each of the proposed reforms is among the key asks of Wesley Mission’s Put Pokies in Their Place campaign.
Rev Cameron says the measures address significant gaps in the current system.
Someone trying to stop gambling on poker machines shouldn’t have to exclude themselves venue by venue. One statewide system should mean one decision is enough.
Communities have a right to know what is happening in their own backyard and poker machines don’t need to be operating through the early hours of the morning. These are practical reforms that give people experiencing harm greater protection and communities’ greater transparency.”
If supported by Council and subsequently backed at the Local Government NSW Annual Conference, the motion would add the collective voice of multiple local government to calls for the NSW Government to introduce stronger statewide protections.
Rev Cameron says Wollongong City Council is well placed to help drive that change.
Councils see the impact of gambling harm where it matters most, in households, families and local communities. Wollongong Council has good reason to lead this conversation. The losses are rising and the case for action is getting stronger.
This is an opportunity to turn alarming local losses into statewide momentum for reform.
Wesley Mission continues to advocate for evidence-based poker machine reform through its Put Pokies in Their Place campaign.